{"id":1043402,"date":"2026-11-02T00:48:02","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T00:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1043402\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T00:48:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T00:48:02","slug":"kansas-city-chiefs-bench-starting-lg-kingsley-suamataia-for-the-second-time-this-season-due-to-a-coaching-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1043402\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas City Chiefs bench starting LG Kingsley Suamataia for the second time this season due to a coaching decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kansas City Chiefs turned to backup OG Mike Caliendo again for a pivotal Week 8 road game against the Denver Broncos. Andy Reid\u2019s explanation from the first benching hasn\u2019t aged well.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia (76) reacts during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The strangeness surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 offensive line in the 2026 NFL season continues in a pivotal Week 8 road game against the Denver Broncos. For the second time this season<\/a>, the Chiefs have benched starting left guard Kingsley Suamataia ahead of a game. Backup guard Mike Caliendo is replacing him, and the team is calling it a coaching decision.<\/p>\n

The first benching came against another AFC West opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders, in Week 4 ahead of the bye week. At that point, Suamataia was one of the NFL\u2019s best starting left guards, allowing a 3.8% pressure rate. The decision wasn\u2019t related to his performance. Instead, something was happening behind the scenes, and this latest benching appears to stem from the same issue.<\/p>\n

Andy Reid\u2019s first explanation doesn\u2019t hold up anymore<\/p>\n

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the decision after the Week 4 game but kept the details private<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as the Kingsley thing goes, so before you guys ask, that\u2019s between Kingsley and I,\u201d Reid said. \u201cBut we\u2019ll figure it out, and down the road we\u2019ll be better as a team for it, and Kingsley will be better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When pressed about that answer, Reid said he might have stuttered when he said it, but he maintained that the situation was between him and Suamataia.<\/p>\n

Four weeks later, it doesn\u2019t look like Suamataia is better for it. Instead, this has become a recurring problem, and a starter on Kansas City\u2019s offensive line now looks unreliable. If this is happening ahead of one of the most important games of the season so far, Suamataia has gone from an asset to a burden.<\/p>\n

Reid will have to offer a better explanation than the one he gave in September. That\u2019s especially true if Sunday\u2019s game doesn\u2019t go Kansas City\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

Why the timing hurts the Chiefs in Denver<\/p>\n

The stakes against the Broncos are hard to overstate. With a win, the Chiefs can take a stranglehold over the AFC West. A loss would drop their division-winning chances below 50%.<\/p>\n

The schedule ahead only raises the pressure. From Weeks 12-14, Kansas City faces a brutal three-game stretch against the Buffalo Bills, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Every game before that stretch carries extra weight.<\/p>\n

The Chiefs\u2019 offense also needs all the help it can get right now. Injuries are hitting the wide receiver position. Last week also marked the first time this season that an opposing defense shut down RB Kenneth Walker.<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, K.C. appears to be making things harder on itself, needlessly, to prove a point to a young player. At some point, Suamataia will have to get with the program. If he doesn\u2019t, the Chiefs might be better off making a permanent switch to Caliendo at left guard.<\/p>\n

Can Mike Caliendo hold up again?<\/p>\n

Caliendo performed admirably when he filled in against the Raiders in Week 4. He gave Kansas City no reason to regret the move. Denver presents a different test. The Broncos\u2019 defensive line is a much bigger challenge for a player like Caliendo than the one he saw against Las Vegas. Holding up in that matchup on the road, in a game with division title implications, is a lot to ask of a backup.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see whether Caliendo can repeat his Week 4 performance in Week 8. However this one shakes out, the bigger story will remain unresolved. Kansas City still has to figure out what it\u2019s going to do with Suamataia, and Reid\u2019s \u201cbetween Kingsley and I\u201d answer won\u2019t satisfy anyone much longer.<\/p>\n

\"Play<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kansas City Chiefs News<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tKansas City Chiefs\u2019 inactive players list for Week 8 vs. Denver Broncos sees the team\u2019s lone practice squad elevation sitting out\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their inactive players list for Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. One player, elevated from the practice squad, is sitting out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Home \/ NFL \/ Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs turned to backup OG Mike Caliendo again…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1043403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2063],"tags":[265,501,346,258,7,118,110,2438,2437,1730,21445,6],"class_list":["post-1043402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-american-football","tag-andy-reid","tag-chiefs","tag-denver-broncos","tag-football","tag-kansas-city","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-kansascity","tag-kansascitychiefs","tag-kingsley-suamataia","tag-mike-caliendo","tag-nfl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117544098817429538","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1043402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1043403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1043402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1043402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1043402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}